You're Better Than You Think
by God'sgirlforever
Summary: "You're a better dad than you think you are. Just be the best dad you can be." Crutchy is worried about being a good father to his son. Modern-day one-shot.


Crutchy smiled as his 9-month-pregnant wife came out of the nursery, where she had just finished putting their eighteen-month-old daughter to bed. Carey waddled over and sunk onto the couch next to him with a groan.

"You look beautiful," Crutchy said as he leaned over to kiss her. Carey smiled and kissed him back. "Would you like some tea?" he asked when he pulled away.

"Yes please," she quickly responded. "Some peppermint would be lovely. And a piece of coffee cake," she called as he limped off to the kitchen. With a sigh, she leaned back and put her legs on the coffee table. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and enjoyed a few moments of silence.

"One peppermint tea and a large piece of coffee cake for the lady." Crutchy set the tray on Carey's lap before sitting down next to her and putting his legs up next to hers. Reaching for the TV remote, he aimlessly flipped channels, finally settling on one playing _Big Bang Theory_. The couple sat in comfortable silence for a while. Near the end of the show, Carey let out a small gasp and put a hand on her stomach.

Crutchy jumped up, looking alarmed. "Are you okay? Is it the baby? Do we need to go to the hospital? I'll get the car." He ran into the kitchen for the car keys, muttering to himself. "Car's in the bag. I mean bag's in the car. Keys. Where are they? Living room!" He ran back out to see Carey still sitting, an amused smile on her face. "Honey, let's go! The baby's coming."

"Relax, darling. Little Benny's not coming out just yet."

"He…he's not…you're not?"

"Not yet. Sit down and talk."

"What about?" He sat down and promptly stood up and began pacing.

"You've been acting weird since I told you I was pregnant again. It's no different than when I was carrying Sarah. What's different about this time?"

Crutchy stopped in front of the television and ran his fingers through his curly hair. "What if I can't be a good father to him?" The question had come seemingly out of nowhere and Carey's mouth dropped in surprise. She sat silently for several long minutes, processing what Crutchy had just said. "Pass me that photo album," she finally requested, pointing to one on the other side of the room. Crutchy looked confused but complied; he brought it over and sat on the cushion next to Carey. She flipped to the first page and showed him the first picture. It was of him holding a newborn Sarah.

"Remember that day? I've never seen you look prouder or happier, not even when you came back from the war so we could finally get married. You weren't worried at all about being a good dad then. Why is it different with this child?"

"What if I can't teach him to play catch because of my leg? What do I tell him about it when he asks about how I got injured? He'll think I'm some kind of war hero. And what if he wants to be in the army like his dad? He could be killed over there and it would be my fault because he'll look up to me…"

"So you're afraid of not being a good dad because you fought in a war? What about Sarah? She could do the same thing but you didn't seem worried about it then."

"Well no, but Sarah's your little girl. She already looks up to you and she's only a year and a half."

"And Benny will look up to you. Don't worry about what might happen. Just be the best dad you can be to your kids and they'll love you."

"I almost dropped Sarah the first time I held her." Crutchy dropped his eyes to the floor, resting his forehead on the palms of his hands. "What if I drop him?"

Carey turned his face to hers and looked straight at him, love filling her eyes. "You're a better dad than you think you are. Don't beat yourself up about mistakes you made or didn't make. Besides, I've almost dropped Sarah myself once or twice."

"Really?" Crutchy looked hopeful.

"Yeah. When I first found out, I was so worried I would be a terrible mother, I cried for an hour."

"What?"

"Yes. I locked myself in the bathroom and cried. I kept thinking 'I can't do this. I don't know what to do.' But then I told my mom. And you know what she told me?"

"That you made the best decision of your life when you agreed to marry me?" He grinned and Carey laughed.

"Well, that too. But she said that all new parents have fears about having a child. It's natural. And they never know what to do at first. You just gotta figure it out as you go."

"Your mother sounds smart."

"She'd have to be, raising four kids on her own."

Crutchy let out a chuckle and leaned back against the couch. Carey rested her head on his shoulder. Several minutes passed as Crutchy thought about what he had just been told. Finally he turned and kissed his wife. "You take after your mom, you know. You're both really smart."

Carey grimaced, even as she let out a small chuckle. "Well I'm going to be smart and suggest we get to the nearest hospital. My water just broke."


End file.
